Mugabe obit

[Cunninghamismagic]

A hero to any country that has been occupied by a colonial power.

Not sure he was seen as a hero in the USA

[WWHO]

A hero to any country that has been occupied by a colonial power.

Not sure he was seen as a hero in the USA

Well, in their case the victim became the transgressor.

Plus, it's amazing how 197 years can change people's perspective.

[Ministry Of Silly Signings]

Just an observation, not wanting to offend. Served in our forces with a guy from Rhodesia, his Dad was an engineer in that country. As soon as Mugabe took over( having never defeated the Rhodesian army),making everyone calling him Comrade Robert etc, they knew it was time to get out, even though they had skills that could be useful, and would have stayed.

[WWHO]

Just an observation, not wanting to offend. Served in our forces with a guy from Rhodesia, his Dad was an engineer in that country. As soon as Mugabe took over( having never defeated the Rhodesian army),making everyone calling him Comrade Robert etc, they knew it was time to get out, even though they had skills that could be useful, and would have stayed.

Well, i can't imagine the landowning white man, regardless of his  skill set, probably wasn't too popular after over two and a half centuries of violent colonial oppression.

Saying that, the South Africans let Alan Titchmarsh and his mates do Nelson Mandela's back garden, so they must like some white agricultural types.

[Jack Halford]

Just an observation, not wanting to offend. Served in our forces with a guy from Rhodesia, his Dad was an engineer in that country. As soon as Mugabe took over( having never defeated the Rhodesian army),making everyone calling him Comrade Robert etc, they knew it was time to get out, even though they had skills that could be useful, and would have stayed.

Well, i can't imagine the landowning white man, regardless of his  skill set, probably wasn't too popular after over two and a half centuries of violent colonial oppression.

Saying that, the South Africans let Alan Titchmarsh and his mates do Nelson Mandela's back garden, so they must like some white agricultural types.

The irony is that there was far more oppression under Mugabe....

[DAVE]

Just an observation, not wanting to offend. Served in our forces with a guy from Rhodesia, his Dad was an engineer in that country. As soon as Mugabe took over( having never defeated the Rhodesian army),making everyone calling him Comrade Robert etc, they knew it was time to get out, even though they had skills that could be useful, and would have stayed.

Well, i can't imagine the landowning white man, regardless of his  skill set, probably wasn't too popular after over two and a half centuries of violent colonial oppression.

Saying that, the South Africans let Alan Titchmarsh and his mates do Nelson Mandela's back garden, so they must like some white agricultural types.

The irony is that there was far more oppression under Mugabe....

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[Jack Halford]

Just an observation, not wanting to offend. Served in our forces with a guy from Rhodesia, his Dad was an engineer in that country. As soon as Mugabe took over( having never defeated the Rhodesian army),making everyone calling him Comrade Robert etc, they knew it was time to get out, even though they had skills that could be useful, and would have stayed.

Well, i can't imagine the landowning white man, regardless of his  skill set, probably wasn't too popular after over two and a half centuries of violent colonial oppression.

Saying that, the South Africans let Alan Titchmarsh and his mates do Nelson Mandela's back garden, so they must like some white agricultural types.

The irony is that there was far more oppression under Mugabe....

<CITATION REQUIRED>

None needed just look at the Matebeland massacres as one example

It will take generations for Zimbabwe’s economy to recover.

[Tom Joad]

Is it just me or was the BBC coverage of Mugabe's death somewhat surprising? Almost made him sound like Mandela!

I thought that too. Very strange

Not really strange. Think many people across Africa feel quite conflicted about him. Almost a life in two parts. He was the poster boy for a new Africa, throwing off the imperial shackles and all that. But, as always, power proved intoxicating and revealed the hideous character flaws in all their glory (or gory).

This. I have a couple of Zambian mates - not revolutionaries nor cap doffers, just average Joe type people- and they consider him a hero. As the saying goes, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

[baggpuss]

When hitch hiking in Zim in the mid nineties I was actually picked up by Ian Smith who came across as a really decent chap.
Later on in my trip when picked up by African drivers and I told them about this I was surprised how warmly they spoke about him and asked how he was - not at all what I was expecting!
'Don't lets go to the dogs tonight' is an excellent book written by a (white) Rhodesian woman about her times growing up as a schoolgirl during the civil war.
As for Mugabe - depends on whether you were on his 'side' or not!

[Cunninghamismagic]

I've got Ian Smith's autobiography, signed by him. I've never got round to reading it.